Modems for connecting local area networks (LANs) to wide area networks (WANs) are well known. For example, modems can be used in a home or small business to provide a broadband connection of a LAN to the Internet via either cable modem or digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies. Frequently, a router connects the modem to other devices, e.g., computers and printers, on the LAN.
A variety of management tasks, such as troubleshooting, health monitoring, accounting, provisioning, security and firmware upgrades must occasionally be performed upon a modem. It is desirable to perform these tasks remotely, such as by a service provider. When these tasks are performed remotely, their performance can be substantially transparent to the user. That is, service interruptions are minimal or non-existent.
In such home and small office networks, the modem is typically configured so as to function as a bridge since it interconnects two networks using the same protocol, i.e., TCP/IP. Such bridge modems may or may not be assigned a public IP address by the broadband service provider. Cable service providers typically provide a public IP address for their bridge modems in order to facilitate remote management thereof. However, DSL and other service providers do not provide public IP addresses so that they can conserve the available IP address pools. Further, DSL modems may not have private IP addresses. DSL modems and other bridge devices are generally viewed as being devices which are not addressed directly. Thus, DSL modems may not be addressable by the service provider. As such, the communication of management traffic from a service provider a DSL modem is not readily facilitated.
The assignment of an IP address to a bridge modem is not necessary in order to provide LAN functionality. However, the communication facilitated by the use of an IP address would allow a DSL service provider to more readily manage a DSL modem, much in the same manner that a cable modem service provider manages a cable modem.
Thus, although cable broadband service providers have been able to use the public IP addresses of cable modems to perform maintenance tasks, DSL and other service providers, e.g., fiber optic broadband service providers, have not be able to do so. DSL broadband service providers have recognized the need to remotely manage bridge modems. Indeed, they have addressed some of the management issues for bridge modems (assuming that the bridge modems somehow already have IP addresses).
Although DSL modems do not have public IP addresses, they may have private IP addresses. However, there is no specification regarding how to locally assign a private IP address to a DSL modem. Further, other technologies, such as fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), have not yet prescribed how they intend to manage their broadband bridge devices.
In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a system and method for facilitating the management of a bridge device that does not have a public IP address assigned thereto.
Embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures.